In 8th grade, I had written a letter to my future self, to be opened after my high school graduation in 2022. Well, I haven’t graduated just yet but I opened it anyway.

The letter included funny details about my food obsession at the time (dark chocolate with almonds and a hint of sea salt), my crush on a fictional book character (Prince Kai from the Lunar Chronicles), and what I had eaten for breakfast that morning (french toast). I must add here that everyone must read the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, it is still my favorite series of all time. Anyway, these seemingly frivolous details completely refreshed my memory of myself four years ago, which I had nearly forgotten at this point.

Truth is, most of us grow in a slow continuous line, one birthday does not mark a noticeable difference, nor does a changing school year. However, we often celebrate these milestones as an indication of “growth,” which has actually imposed quite some pressure on me over the years to be a certain way or achieve certain goals by each made-up milestone. 

If I have the chance to write a letter to my past self, I would certainly tell her to ignore all those expectations! While it’s certainly important to challenge yourself and explore new opportunities, you should never feel compelled to do something you don’t feel for. One of my biggest regrets for high school would be the sleepless nights I spent in shame that today was not productive enough or in dismay that tomorrow held no hope. 

On the other hand, I’m very grateful for the community I met in RM. My friends and peers in this school were one of the most multi-talented and hard-working people I have ever seen, and the community here certainly influenced my perspectives of the world for the better. The numerous clubs in RM, all led by passionate students, offer an inclusive space for a diversity of interests and talents; I would surely recommend underclassmen to explore all the clubs here and be involved as much as possible. Just earlier this year, I sat in a pi day hunt meeting and couldn’t help but watch in awe as the students presented the answers to their super-complicated math problems that they had created themselves. A math-sucker like me could never. 

All in all, high school was not an easy ride for me, and I can probably list more challenges I faced than the moments of joy. At the end though, there were plenty of chances to have fun and create memories with friends – some of which I took advantage of, some of which I did not – and looking back at some of those pictures still make me laugh out loud. I’m glad that I chose to come to RM and I hope RM was happy to have me!